Cordyceps smell?

You're arguing about a subjective thing like smell? We do organoleptic panels for literally every raw material that comes though our facility. We have a panel of people that do smell assessments to determine what they think certain things should smell like, and use that as our organolepetic reference standards. It's about as scientific as you can get with a subjective measurement like smell. We also have the raw mushrooms for each of the ones we sell, too. We have a PhD botanist at Alkemist Labs analyze them to ensure the raw mushrooms are the correct species. We then use those samples, along with botanical reference standards from USP, to do fingerprint ID on our CAMAG high performance thin layer chromatograph. This ID analysis takes place on every single batch of mushrooms that comes through our facility. Then we use the Megazyme enzymatic sample prep to break out the beta-glucans, and quantify them on our Thermo Scientific UV-VIS. Then we use our Thermo Scientific headspace gas chromatograph to do residual solvent analysis, to ensure there are no solvent residues. Then we do ICP-MS testing to ensure there are no harmful levels of heavy metals. Then we do content analysis for any other actives on one of our Waters ultra high performance liquid chromatograph. So we quantify beta-glucans on the Megazyme side, and quantify other things like cordycepin on the UPLC. Then we do microbiological analysis and water content analysis, which has to meet our specs. Nobody else out there is testing mushrooms to the level we are. Nobody.

What time of year are you harvesting this chaga, and from what region? Also, what type of birch trees are they? That all plays a role in how the chaga looks and smells. The only way to scientifically tell the difference is chemical fingerprint ID on HP-TLC. We could develop some specific methods on our headspace GC to create a "smell" fingerprint if we wanted, but that's not really useful. The headspace GC is more for ID and quantification of volatile compounds we want to ensure are not in there. The food industry does use headspace GC with an olfactometric detector. However, that's more useful for food aromas. I don't think it would justify the cost for us to develop a scientific odor profile for chaga in the lab. Our other analytical methods are perfectly suited to assess the ID and quality of the mushrooms we sell.